Quick, simple, delicious and easy on the stomach. Dark chocolate and berry porridge

This recipe is an absolute winter warmer and totally indulgent. I mean dark chocolate for breakfast? Errrr, hello!
Top secret ingredient is the source of the dark chocolate, making it totally delicious and rich.
So, how do you make this badboy you ask? Read below…Serves 1. Dairy free, gluten free and vegan.Ingredients

50g rice flakes

250ml of nut milk (I used almond, but hazelnut or cashew would be equally delicious)

Handful of frozen berries

Handful of Montezumas dark chocolate… or some other good quality dark chocolate

Mixed chopped nuts

Date syrup

Divineeee

Method

Place the rice flakes and the almond milk in a bowl and mix together.

Pop your frozen berries in a small pan and heat on a medium heat. Add a little date syrup to sweeten and let the berries soften.

Put in the Microwave for on full power for two minutes.

Once the rice flake and milk porridge is done, take it out of the oven, give a quick stir and leave to stand for a minute. This is important as it thickens as it stands.

Your fruit should be softening now and looking bubbly and warm. Take off the heat.

Take your dark chocolate (in my case, secret ingredients, Montezumas dark chocolate buttons!), and pop them into the porridge. They will melt instantly with the heat of the porridge, giving you a lovely gooey mixture.

Pop on the warm berries, sprinkle over the chopped nuts and squeeze over the date syrup. Bon appetit!

Dark chocolate buttons are my secret ingredient, but really you can use any good quality dark chocolate.

We saw in the New Year at Sky Gardens – a day I felt good and it was bloody brilliant.

I’m not sure if it’s too late to say Happy New Year, but seeing as this is my first post of 2018, I feel it’s appropriate to say!
My new year started with a bit of a bump, as all of you who follow me may know I have Crohns Disease, which I write about quite regularly. This little hiccup has really reaffirmed to me that all I ever really want each year is good health. Health to be happy, good health to live my life and good health to enjoy every day to the fullest.
I’m sure many of you fellow Crohnies will relate to knowing that you’re really operating at 50% and so, I have compiled a list of 10 things it’s okay to feel when you’re going through a bad patch with your chronic illness.

It’s okay to stop and admit you feel like s**t

It’s okay to lean on your friends and family

It’s okay not to be strong all the time

It’s okay to cry

It’s okay to be angry

It’s okay to want to talk about it, over and over again

It’s okay to look after yourself and be antisocial

It’s okay to research and understand every single treatment and medication possibility

It’s okay to jump to the worst conclusion and mentally prepare

It’s okay to be frustrated when people don’t understand

These are some mantras I’ve had to keep reinforcing for myself recently, particularly as my body is fighting so hard; I am sometimes too exhausted to be rational (cue literally tears about everything, putting slippers on wrong way, jumper back to front.. you get the jist!) Although, I think the above could apply to many life situations and I think it’s important to remind each other that we don’t have to have a brave face, everyday.

31st December 2017. Always sparkles. Always optimistic.

So although 2018 hasn’t started as I wished (sick days, hospital appointments and spending too much time resting), every bump on the road reminds me what to be grateful for and helps me remain positive that the blip will pass – and the year will continue with ease. These mantras help me hold onto the good days – and try to forget the bad days.It really is true, that the greatest wealth in life is health.